Lackluster end of season results in underwhelming campaign for Maryland women’s soccer

Maryland women’s soccer had long circled Sep. 16 on the schedule — its Big Ten home opener against Michigan. The Terps, who boasted a 1-1-5 record entering the matchup, looked sluggish against the non-conference teams that made up the first half of their schedule. On that Friday night, however, they were in for a dogfight.

In the 70th minute, forward Mikayla Dayes took advantage of a Juliana Lynch pass to knock in her first goal of the season, the 13th of the graduate student’s storied Maryland career. The goal gave the Terps the edge to hold off the Wolverines and beat the reigning Big Ten champions for the first time in Maryland’s program history.

“I don’t want people to think that this was an accident, because they’ve been working hard,” rookie coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer said, nearly lost for words at the upset.

What Maryland hoped would signify as a statement match indicating future success ultimately served as the premature high point of a season that went horribly sideways, particularly in the Big Ten portion of Maryland’s schedule.

The Terps lost seven-straight matches following the Michigan win, before ending their season on a high note with back-to-back wins in their final two matches. 

The inconsistent play all throughout the season doomed Maryland, resulting in an underwhelming 4-8-5 season in the first year under the helm of Nemzer.

“Culture is everything, I said we’re gonna compete for championships and obviously we fell short of that but that’s gonna be the expectation every single year,” Nemzer said. “Looking back on it, I felt like the championship culture is there, and now it’s making sure that we fine tune the details and habits.”

Maryland’s season got off to an odd start, as each of its first four matches ended in a 1-1 draw. The ties against Temple, Navy, Pennsylvania and Georgetown saw Nemzer developing a rhythm with her team, setting the stage for a 3-0 blowout win over George Mason for the first victory in the Nemzer era.

Senior forward Alina Stahl quickly racked up three goals through the first five matches of the season, with four other Terps also contributing a score in that span. Maryland was shutout its next time out, the first outing with a zero in the goal column of the season.

After a scoreless draw against Saint Joseph’s, Maryland entered its conference slate hoping to make a splash. The conference opener was exactly that, as goalkeeper Madeline Smith described the celebration “like we had just won the World Cup.”

However, the season took a disappointing turn — and fast.

The Terps dropped a close 3-2 loss against Illinois their next time out to put them right back at .500. In the defeat, the match marked the first time Maryland allowed multiple goals in a bout — which was what signified the road ahead.

Still, there wasn’t reason to completely panic, as the Maryland offense seemed like it took a step forward. Dayes had scored in back-to-back Big Ten matches, and graduate student forward Alyssa Poarch notched her second goal of the season against Illinois. 

The Maryland defense — the strong suit of the team in the first half of the season — completely faltered in the second.

Maryland lost in the 88th minute to then-No. 4 Rutgers, 1-0, and the defense never looked the same until the very end of the season.

Consecutive losses pushed the Terps to 2-3-5, and it was a downward spiral from that point on.

The Terps were outscored 17-2 in their next five matches, including a horrendous 7-0 defeat against then-No. 20 Ohio State.

Whatever promise Maryland looked like it had following the Michigan win was long gone. Maryland’s final loss in its seven-match losing streak — a 2-1 defeat to Minnesota — effectively eliminated the Terps from postseason contention.

Still, the Terps didn’t fight, as they notched over Indiana and Purdue to wrap up the regular season.

Despite its shortcomings, Maryland will remember some positives from this season — such as Nemzer’s first win, Maryland’s first-ever win over Michigan, and its three wins in conference play after not notching any the past two seasons. 

“I feel extremely confident going into my senior year as a captain of this team, having the resources that we have here … I’m excited to see the younger players and transfers coming in,” junior midfielder Catherine DeRosa said.

“Results are not gonna dictate who we are as a team,” Nemzer said. “That was a fighting team and a team that was ready to compete and have Maryland pride.”